NHL
AWARDS AND HONORSHOCKEY HALL OF FAME:
Inducted 2003Vezina Trophy: 1987-88 (Edmonton)Jennings Trophy: 1993-94 (Buffalo) (co-winner with Dominik Hasek)NHL All-Star First Team: 1987-88 (Edmonton)Sporting News
All-Star First Team: 1987-88 (Edmonton)
NHL All-Star Second Team: 1981-82 (Edmonton)Sporting News All-Star
Second Team: 1981-82, 1985-86 (Edm.)
All-Star Game: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989 (Edmonton)
All-Star Game MVP: 1986 (Edmonton)Stanley Cup Finals (Lost): 1983 (Edmonton)Edmonton Rookie of Year: 1981-82Toronto
Molson Cup (Three-Stars Leader): 1991-92St. Louis Player of Year:
1995-96
NHL Records: Most games played by a goaltender in one season (79 for St.
Louis in 1995-96), most consecutive starts by a goaltender in one season (76
for St. Louis in 1995-96), most assists by a goaltender in one season (14 for Edmonton
in 1983-84), most points by a goalie in one season (14 for Edmonton in
1983-84), most victories by a goalie in one playoff year (16 for
Edmonton in 1988, shares record), longest undefeated streak by a rookie
goaltender (23 games for Edmonton from Oct. 21, 1981, through Jan. 13, 1982),
most penalty shots faced in one playoff year and series (2 for Edmonton vs.
Philadelphia in 1985 Stanley Cup Finals), most penalty shots stopped in one
playoff year and series (2 for Edmonton vs. Philadelphia in 1985 Stanley Cup
Finals), most games played by a goaltender, combined regular-season and
playoffs (94 for Edmonton in 1987-88)Edmonton Records: Most career wins (226), most career ties
(54), most consecutive complete games by a goalie (20 from Dec. 22, 1987,
through Feb. 3, 1988, shares record), most games played by a goalie in one
season (75 in 1987-88), most wins by a goalie in one season (40 in 1987-88), most career playoff games played by a
goaltender (111), most career playoff wins (74), most career playoff losses (32),
most career playoff goals allowed (330), most career goals allowed (1,470),
most career playoff minutes played by a goalie (6,528), most consecutive
complete games by a goalie (51 from April 12, 1986, through April 15, 1989),
most minutes played by a goalie in a season (4,304 in 1987-88), most
assists by a goalie in one season (14 in 1983-84), most points by a
goaltender in one season (14 in 1983-84), most wins by a goalie in one playoff year (16 in 1988, shares record), most
consecutive games played by a goalie in a playoff year (18 from April 6,
1988, through May 26, 1988), longest undefeated streak by a goalie (23
games from Oct. 21, 1981, through Jan. 13, 1982), longest undefeated streak by
a rookie goalie (23 games from Oct. 21, 1981, through Jan. 13, 1982), most
consecutive playoff wins by a goalie in one playoff year (9 from April 10,
1985, through May 7, 1985), most penalty shots faced in one playoff year and
series (2 vs. Philadelphia in 1985 Stanley Cup Finals), most penalty shots
stopped in one playoff year and series (2 vs. Philadelphia in 1985 Stanley Cup
Finals), most assists by a goaltender in one playoff game (2 vs. Los Angeles
on April 22, 1991), most assists by a goaltender in one period of one playoff
game (2 in third period vs. Los Angeles on April 22, 1991).St. Louis Records: Most games played by a goaltender in one
season (79 in 1995-96), most minutes played by a goaltender in one season
(4,365 in 1995-96)
NHL Shutouts Leader: 1987-88 (Edmonton) (4 shutouts)
NHL Goalie Games-Played Leader: 1987-88 (Edmonton) (75 GP), 1995-96 (St.
Louis) (79 GP)NHL Minutes Leader: 1987-88 (Edmonton) (4,304
minutes)NHL Shots-Faced Leader: 1995-96 (St. Louis) (2,157 shots)NHL
Saves Leader: 1995-96 (St. Louis) (1,948 saves)NHL Wins Leader: 1983-84 (Edm.) (30), 1987-88 (Edm.) (40)NHL Playoffs
Goalie Games-Played Leader: 1985 (Edmonton) (18 games), 1988 (Edmonton)
(19 games)NHL Playoffs Minutes Leader: 1988 (Edmonton) (1,136
minutes)NHL Playoffs Wins Leader: 1985 (Edmonton) (15 wins), 1988
(Edmonton) (16 wins)Coaching Career: Named Calgary goaltending consultant on Sept. 6, 2000,
and remained in that position through 2001-02 season. ... Named Phoenix
goaltending coach on July 22, 2004.Miscellaneous: Ranked by The Hockey News in 1997 as the 70th
greatest NHL player of all time. ... Was represented by agent Bill Watters when he signed his
first NHL contract with Edmonton in September 1981. The contract was a 3-year
deal plus an option year at $70,000 per season and a $60,000 signing bonus. It
also included bonuses based on the number of games Fuhr won in each season.
... Wore Nos. 35 and 32 in Edmonton's 1981 training camp. ... Lost his NHL
debut, but did not lose another game after that until Jan. 16, 1982, at
Toronto. ... Missed part of 1981-82 season with partially separated right
shoulder, an injury suffered in December 1981. The injury required off-season
surgery during the summer of 1982. ... Had assist on Wayne Gretzky's 50th goal
of 1981-82 season on Dec. 30, 1981, vs. Philadelphia, as Gretzky reached 50
goals in a record 39 games. ... Was runner-up to Billy Smith for 1981-82
Vezina Trophy. ... Missed part of 1983-84 season with strained
ligaments in left knee, suffered during Edmonton's Dec. 13, 1983, game vs.
Hartford. The injury required surgery. ... Broke previous NHL record for
assists by a goalie in one season when he recorded his ninth assist of
the 1983-84 season during Edmonton's Jan. 27, 1984, game vs. New Jersey. ...
Missed part of 1984-85 season with separated shoulder, suffered in
February 1985. ... Set NHL and Edmonton records (since broken) for wins by a
goaltender in one playoff season with 15 in 1985. ... Missed part of 1985-86
season with bruised left shoulder, an injury suffered during Edmonton's Nov.
3, 1985, game vs. Toronto. ... Finished third in voting for 1985-86 Vezina
Trophy. ... Finished third in voting for 1986-87 Vezina Trophy. ... Missed
part of 1987-88 season with bruised left shoulder, an injury suffered during
Edmonton's Nov. 1, 1987, game at N.Y. Rangers. ... Set NHL single-season
record (since broken) for games played by a goaltender in one season with 75
in 1987-88. He broke Bernie Parent's previous record of 73 games when he
started Edmonton's March 30, 1988, game vs. Minnesota. ... Set Edmonton
single-season record (since broken) for shutouts with four in 1987-88. ... Set
Edmonton record (since broken) for longest shutout streak by a goaltender with
124:26 from Dec. 6 to Dec. 11, 1987. ... Was goalie for Edmonton in would-be Game 4 of Stanley
Cup Finals at Boston on May 24, 1988, when the lights went out in Boston
Garden. Due to the power failure, the game was suspended at 16:37 of second
period and never resumed, but all statistics counted in Stanley Cup Finals
totals. ... Became first goalie in NHL history to win 16 playoff games when he
achieved feat with Edmonton in 1988. ... Missed part of Edmonton's 1988
training camp and start of 1988-89 season with knee injury, suffered in
September 1988. ... Missed part of 1988-89 season with cervical neck strain,
an injury suffered when he was hit on the shoulder by Andrew McBain's stick
during Edmonton's Jan. 18, 1989, game at Winnipeg. ... Voted by fans as
Campbell Conference starting goaltender for 1989 NHL All-Star Game. ... Named
NHL Player of the Week for the week ending March 5, 1989. ... Missed start of
1989-90 season while recovering from appendectomy, performed on Sept. 14,
1989. ... Missed nearly half of 1989-90 season with left shoulder injury,
suffered during Edmonton's Dec. 16, 1989, game at St. Louis. The injury
required reconstructive surgery on Dec. 27, 1989, and Fuhr did not return to
action until Edmonton's March 3, 1990, game vs. Philadelphia. He later
re-injured the shoulder during Edmonton's March 13, 1990, game at Quebec, and
saw limited action for balance of regular-season. ... Was on Edmonton team
that won 1990 Stanley Cup, but did not appear in playoffs due to left shoulder
injury. ... Returned to Edmonton lineup after four-month drug-related
suspension on Feb. 18, 1991, having not played for the Oilers in nearly 11
months. ... Left Edmonton with
career records (since broken) for games played by a goaltender (423), minutes
played by a goaltender (23,910), shutouts (9), and losses (117). ... Missed
parts of 1991-92 season with sprained thumb, an injury suffered during
Toronto's Oct. 17, 1991, game at Calgary, with pulled groin, an injury
suffered during Toronto's Nov. 12, 1991, game at Minnesota, and with sprained
knee, an injury suffered during Toronto's Feb. 11, 1992, game vs. Detroit. ...
Missed part of 1992-93 season with sprained knee, an injury suffered during
Toronto's Oct. 20, 1992, game vs. Ottawa. The injury required arthroscopic
surgery on Oct. 22, 1992. ... Missed parts of 1992-93 season with strained
shoulder, an injury suffered during Toronto's Dec. 5, 1992, game vs. Chicago,
and with bruised shoulder muscle, an injury suffered during Toronto's Jan. 17,
1993, game at Chicago. ... Won first game in a Buffalo uniform, making 26
saves in a 3-2 win vs. Hartford on Feb. 3, 1993. ... Named Buffalo Player of
Month for March 1993. ... Missed part of 1993-94 season with left knee injury,
suffered in Buffalo's Nov. 24, 1993, game vs. New Jersey. The injury required
arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 22, 1993, and he did not return to action until
Buffalo's Feb. 2, 1994, game at New Jersey. ... Signed with St. Louis as a Group III unrestricted free
agent on July 11, 1995. ... Won his 300th NHL game for St. Louis on Nov. 30,
1995, at Winnipeg. ... Broke Ed Johnston's 32-year-old NHL record of 70
consecutive starts in a season by starting 76 consecutive games in 1995-96.
... Missed part of 1995-96 season with knee injury, suffered during St. Louis'
March 31, 1996, game at Detroit. ... Missed remainder of 1996 playoffs with
torn ACL and MCL in right knee, suffered when he collided with Nick Kypreos
during Game 2 of St. Louis' first-round series at Toronto on April 18, 1996.
The injury required surgery on April 27, 1996. ... Missed parts of 1997-98
season with sore arm, an injury suffered during St. Louis' Nov. 6, 1997, game
at Chicago, and with strained ligaments and torn cartilage in right knee, an
injury suffered during St. Louis' Feb. 26, 1998, game at San Jose. The knee
injury required surgery on Feb. 28, 1998. ... Missed one game in 1997-98
season with bruised knee, suffered during St. Louis' April 12, 1998, game at
Dallas. ... Missed parts of 1998-99 season with strained right knee, an injury
suffered in St. Louis' Oct. 16, 1998, game at Detroit, and with strained
groin, suffered during St. Louis' Nov. 7, 1998, game at San Jose. ... Missed
part of 1998-99 season while recovering from Feb. 6, 1999, arthroscopic
surgery on right knee. He did not return to action until St. Louis' March 13,
1999, game vs. Edmonton. ... Won his 400th NHL game for Calgary on Oct. 22,
1999, at Florida. ... Missed parts of 1999-00 season with right knee injury,
suffered in Calgary's practice on Dec. 20, 1999, and re-injured in Calgary's
practice on Feb. 2, 2000. ... Retired at age 37 in September 2000
because he felt he could no longer play on his right knee without risking
irreparable damage. ... Ranked sixth on NHL's all-time wins list at time of
his retirement. ... Edmonton retired Fuhr's No. 31 on Oct. 9, 2003.Hockey's First Black Superstar: When Fuhr
broke into the NHL in 1981, he became an instant media sensation in a league
which had never had a black star, let alone superstar. Considerable attention
focused on Fuhr's racial background, although his socio-economic background
was actually quite similar to that of other NHL stars. Given up for adoption
as a 13-day-old baby, Fuhr, who had one black and one white biological parent, was raised by a white couple in the Edmonton
suburbs and began playing goal in Spruce Grove, Alberta, as a 6-year-old.
Nevertheless, Fuhr broke down all kinds of barriers for black players during
his NHL career. In 1982, he became the first black player to play in an NHL
All-Star Game. In 1984, he became the first black player to have his name
engraved on the Stanley Cup. In 1988, he became the first black player to win
an major NHL award (Vezina). And in 2003, Fuhr became the first black player
to gain entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In addition, Fuhr inspired a
generation of young black players, including goaltender Fred Brathwaite, who
idolized Fuhr as a youngster. Brathwaite later got Fuhr's permission to wear
No. 31 when he joined the Oilers in 1993. Another future NHL star, Jarome
Iginla, also idolized Fuhr while growing up in Edmonton.The Staged "Retirement": Fuhr and his
agent, Rich Winter, made headlines during the summer of 1989 because of a
protracted and bizarre dispute with Edmonton general manager Glen Sather.
Winter and Sather had long disliked each other, dating back to Fuhr's 1987
contract negotiations in which the two engaged in a shoving match. By 1989,
Winter was accusing the Oilers of cheating their players by trading Wayne
Gretzky so that none of them could earn their projected bonus money for the
1988-89 season (i.e. the team would be unable to win the Stanley Cup without
Gretzky). Winter and Sather were already arguing over the contract for another
Winter client, Esa Tikkanen, when Winter announced that Fuhr was considering
retirement if the NHL and Oilers did not agree to a special waiver of the
league's rules on licensing rights. Winter had cut a reported five-year deal
with the Pepsi-Cola Company that called for Fuhr to wear the Pepsi logo on his
pads, beginning in the 1989-90 season. The NHL strictly prohibited players
from selling advertising space on their equipment. Winter told the Oilers that
Fuhr would retire if he was not allowed to wear the Pepsi logo. On June 8,
1989, Fuhr presented signed retirement papers to Sather, which, if filed with
the NHL, would rule Fuhr out of the 1989-90 season. Convinced the retirement
was nothing more than a negotiating ploy -- because Fuhr had asked the papers
be held in trust until further notice -- Sather waited until training camp to
see if Fuhr was really serious about quitting hockey. Event though five year's
remained on Fuhr's contract, Fuhr and Winter vowed that Fuhr would not report
to training camp unless he could wear the Pepsi logo. The goalie said he would
rather sell cars at an Edmonton-area dealership than play under licensing
restrictions. Fuhr claimed that he was trying to win a victory for players'
rights, but others were sure that Winter had orchestrated everything to force
a renegotiation of Fuhr's long-term contract in exchange for which Winter
would drop the logo request. This was the same contract Winter had
begrudgingly advised his client to sign two years earlier. When signed, the
deal was thought to be worth $500,000 per year, but turned out to be worth
closer to $400,000 per year. There was also speculation that Winter hoped to
force a trade to Detroit, which was willing to pay Fuhr more than he was
earning in Edmonton. Fed up with Winter, Sather cut off his Fuhr talks with
the agent, making Fuhr's status for 1989-90 even more uncertain. As media
criticism of Winter mounted, and as he acknowledged he really didn't want to
retire, Fuhr shifted his legal work to Edmonton attorney Ramon McKall in an
effort to get out of his Oilers contract. The situation was finally resolved
in a two-hour meeting between Fuhr and Sather on Aug. 24, 1989. Following that
meeting, Fuhr announced he was not going to retire and would report to
Edmonton's training camp as scheduled. He had no trouble walking away from the
Pepsi deal, either, and said he was surprised to find out that the NHL, rather
than the Oilers, was responsible for his not being allowed to put the logo on
his pads. Winter still argued that the NHL did not have the right to ban the
Pepsi pads, but his client had already lost interest in the arrangement. Some
years later, Fuhr would drop Winter as his agent, saying he was uncomfortable
with Winter's negotiating tactics.Fuhr's
Drug Suspension: On Sept. 27, 1990, the NHL suspended Fuhr for one year
(later reduced to four months)
as a result of his having admitted to using cocaine earlier in his career. The
entire story came to light in the Edmonton Journal's Aug. 31, 1990,
issue, in which Fuhr admitted he had abused a controlled substance for seven years.
Fuhr never used the word "cocaine," but the media immediately began reporting
that this was his drug of choice. Earlier in the month, Fuhr had entered a
drug treatment center in St. Petersburg, Fla., because he had failed an
unreported drug test. Fuhr granted the Journal interview because he
said he was clean for the first time in seven years and was willing to
acknowledge why he had gone to Florida just weeks before the start of the
1990-91 season. Fuhr explained that he had been using the "substance" since
1983 or 1984, and had used it on binges once every three to four weeks. He
also said he had repeatedly lied to Edmonton general manager Glen Sather when
questioned about possible drug use. At one point, Fuhr denied drug use to a
Sports Illustrated reporter in a May 1986 story that accused five unnamed
Edmonton player of using cocaine. His problem was severe enough that Fuhr's
ex-wife, Corrine, helped the Journal break its story out of concern for
Fuhr's health. Corrine Fuhr said her ex-husband had been using cocaine as
early as 1983 and that during Stanley Cup runs, the Fuhrs were receiving phone
calls from angry drug dealers demanding payment. In addition, Fuhr missed
Edmonton's Oct. 14, 1988, flight to Calgary because he was on a drug binge.
Fuhr flew to Calgary and had a confrontation with Sather, who by this time
already knew Fuhr was using drugs. Although Fuhr admitted to his years of drug
use, he said his ex-wife's stories were exaggerated. However, she was not
alone in telling stories about Fuhr's past. Edmonton teammate Esa Tikkanen
said he once saw Fuhr receive a bag of cocaine from a dealer and was fully
aware of Fuhr's addiction. After Fuhr's drug problem became publicized, the NHL
immediately reacted to Fuhr's public admission by scheduling a Sept. 26, 1990,
hearing on the matter. Fuhr was allowed to attend the Oilers' training camp in
the weeks prior to the hearing, but was banned from playing in preseason
games. The NHL had a no-tolerance drug policy, dating back to cases involving
Don Murdoch, Ric Nattress, Borje Salming and Bob Probert, that insisted
players who used illegal drugs would face automatic suspensions. On Sept. 27,
1990, following a hearing, the NHL announced that Fuhr would be suspended one year. It was the second-longest drug-related suspension in NHL history. Fuhr was extremely contrite and apologetic, and the suspension was later
reduced to four months under a clause which said that Fuhr would only have to
miss 60 NHL games if he stayed clean. On Feb. 4, 1991, NHL president John
Ziegler held another hearing and ruled that Fuhr could return for Edmonton's
60th game of the 1990-91 season. Fuhr was allowed to immediately rejoin
Edmonton's practices and to play for Cape Breton (AHL) so that he could get
himself into shape for his return. In Fuhr's first game back with Edmonton, he
showed no sign of rust with 27 saves to shut out New Jersey 4-0 on the road. The Fuhr case ultimately led to a
re-examination of the NHL's drug policy, with lighter suspensions for
players who came forward, admitted drug problems and checked themselves into
a rehabilitation program.Fuhr Exits Edmonton: With Bill Ranford coming
off a dominant 1991 Canada Cup performance, the handwriting was on the wall
for Fuhr during Edmonton's 1991 training camp. Toronto had been pushing for a
trade all summer, and although Edmonton general manager Glen Sather initially
rejected the idea, he ended up packaging Fuhr with perpetually disgruntled
winger Glenn Anderson in a deal with the Maple Leafs. The deal enabled
Edmonton to obtain rising star Vincent Damphousse and replace Fuhr as backup
goalie with Peter Ing.

NON-NHL CAREER

Post-Draft Teams: Moncton (AHL); Cape Breton
(AHL); Rochester (AHL); Saint John (AHL)NHL-USSR Rendez-vous Series: 1987Canada Cup: 1984
(first place), 1987 (first place)World Championships: 1989 (silver
medal)NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORSCanada Cup All-Star First Team: 1987Miscellaneous: Demoted by Edmonton to Moncton (AHL) on Jan. 25, 1983,
as a result of poor performance during his second NHL season in 1982-83. He
was not recalled to Edmonton until mid-February 1983. ... Missed part of 1984
Canada Cup tournament with shoulder injury. ... Sent to Cape Breton (AHL) on
Oct. 23, 1989, for two-game minor-league conditioning stint as he came back
from his appendectomy. ... Joined Cape Breton (AHL) for four-game conditioning
stint in February 1991 as he returned from four-month NHL suspension. ...
Sent by Calgary to Saint John (AHL) for two-game conditioning stint on Jan.
27, 2000, as he recovered from right knee injury. ... An outstanding golfer, he missed cut at 1989 Alberta Amateur Golf Championship by six
strokes. ... Invested in automobile dealership in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, during
his playing days. ... Was active in charitable causes during his playing
days, including work as honorary chairman of Edmonton's Rick Hansen Centre
(since renamed The Steadward Centre). ... Joined Celebrity Players golf tour
after retirement, ranking 12th on the tour's 2001 money list and winning a
total of more than $125,000 from 2001 to 2003. Finished in the top 12 overall
in 2001 and in the top 20 overall in 2002. Started nine tournaments in 2002
and finished in the top 20 six times. Finished first overall among current and
former NHL players in first annual NHL Drive Fore the Goal event at 2003
FleetBoston Classic. Fuhr was 4-over through the 36-hole tournament and beat
Ben Clymer by two strokes.Personal: Nicknamed "Cocoa." ... Full name is Grant S. Fuhr.